Folding shelf



(No Model.) Y H, A. PAYNE. FOLDING SHELF.

No. 530,349. PatBnted Dec. 4,1894;

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HELEN A. PAYNE, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

FOLDING SHELF.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,349, dated December 4,1894.

Application filed Februaryi, 1894- Serial No. 499.15 8- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HELEN A. PAYNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Ghemung, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Shelves, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in folding shelves, and it has for its object to provide a simple and cheap wire shelf which can be readily folded flat against a wall and easily and quickly dis- :ended and firmly held in its operative posiion.

The device consists essentially of two rods or wires having provision for attachment to a wall, and a shelf hinged to the said wires or rods, and braces also hinged to the rods and adapted to be detachably engaged with the shelf to hold the same distended or disengaged therefrom to allow of its being folded, and when thus disengaged they may be engaged in loops or eyes on the supporting rods or wires to hold the whole flat against the wall.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel I features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and -in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved folding shelf in its extended position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same distended in full lines and shown closed by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the parts as shown in Fig. 1. i

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the details of the draw- U form as seen in Fig. 1, with its parallel or side portions connected by the rods or wires 1). The ends of the body portion are bent to form hooks b which may be permanently or detachably engaged in loops at in the rods A, their connection being such as to permit of pivotal movement of the shelf.

The side portions of the body of the shelf are formed with loops 0 into which are detachably engaged the hooked ends cl of the braces D which are pivotally connected to the rods A near the lower ends thereof, as by being formed with eyes d working in the eyes a of the rods A. The rods A are formed near their upper ends with the eyes or loops a to receive the hooked ends of the braces D when the shelf is in its closed position. The connection of the braces with the shelf should be near the outer end thereof in order to the better support it.

In use the shelf is swung into its horizontal position as shown and the hooked ends of the braces engaged in the eyes a of the side bars thereof. When not in use the hooked ends of the braces are disengaged from the said eyes and the shelf falls into a vertical position flat against the wall or other support and the hooked ends of the braces are engaged in the eyes a of the rods A to hold the same flat against the wall out of the way.

Modifications may be resorted to without departing from the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as new is- The herein described folding shelf consisting of the rods with eyes at each end, eyes near eachend and intermediate eyes, the shelf hinged to said intermediate eyes and having its side bars formed with eyes, and the braces hinged in one set of eyes near thelower end of the said rods and having hooked ends to de tachably engage the eyes on the side bars of the shelf and the eyes near the upper ends of the said rods, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HELEN A. PAYNE. 

